Method of treating- flax or similar fiber and products



w. mosmsow. METHOD OF TREATING FLAX OR SIMILAR FIBER AND PRODUCT.

APPLICATION FILED APR-23, I919.

' 1,355,571 Patented --Oct. 12, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. ROBINSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN FLAX FIBRE AND LINEN CORPORATION, OF NEJV YORK, N. 52"., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

METHOD OF TREATING FLAX OR SIMILAR FIBER AND PRODUCTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

Application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No. 292,115.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, NI LiAM J. ROBINSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in liilethods of Treating Flax or Similar Fiber and Product, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the treatment of fibrous plants and has to do particularly with the separation of the fibers from the SlllVQ or woody stock.

An object of the invention is to accomplish the liberation of such fibers in considerably less time than is required by the wellknown methods of water-retting or dewretting.

Another object of the invention is to effect rapid liberation of the fibers as aforesaid without in any manner impairing the desirable qualities thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to sotreat the fibers that the cutose gum which binds them to the woody portions of the plant is entirely removed, while the much in re delicate pectous gum, which binds the individual fibers of the plant end to end, is

- protected from disintegration and destruction.

Another object of the invention is to produce a fiber suitable for spinning, weaving, etc, having all of the qualities customarily desired in the textile industries, and in addition certain new and highly beneficial chara cteristics.

As is well known, in the flax-plant, for instance, there are two distinct binding-gums.

A cutose um binds the fiber to the stock or woody stem, while a peetous gum which is much more delicate than the first binds the ultimate fibers of the plant end to end. These ultimate fibers are from one inch to two inches long, while the entire length of this pectous gum. These joints are the weakest parts of the fibers and if the pectous gum is destroyed, the fibers come apart into the short lengths specified and become what is called tow, which has little or no commercial value.

For the breaking up or dissolution of the cutose gum, water-retting or dew-retting is ordinarily resorted to, but these processes have always been objectionable because of the great length of time required and the highly disagreeable odors which arise. Furthermore, if the rotting process is carried too far, the pectous gums become dissolved and the resulting fibers have little or no commercial value.

Many attempts have been made to shorten the time required for the liberation of the fibers. Most ofthese have involved the use of chemicals which will not successfully break up or dissolve the cutose gum without deleteriously affecting the pectous gum. So far as I am aware, none of the proposed shorter methods of treating the fibers has been commercially successful.

I have succeeded in so treating the fibers that the cutose gums are completely removed and the fibers liberated from the woody stockwithout destroying the binding properties of the pectous gum at the junctions of the fibers. .Furthermore, by my treatment I produce a commercial spinning fiber, unimpaired in strength, clean, light-colored, water-repellant and not susceptible to mildew, capable of being manufactured into textiles and cordage of all commercial grades and fineness, capable of being bleached in the yarns and cloth at very much less cost than heretofore, and capable of being-dyed with an assurance of greater permanency of color than has been possible with fibers heretofore produced by any process known to me.

.zirccording to my invention, the flax-straw, after removal of the seeds but without retting, and preferably after decorticating or deshiving in the well-known manner to produce what is known as green line flax, is bound up in bundles of about five pounds each, with the root-ends together and the fibers straight, and the bundles placed in a vat or tank, the root ends preferably together. The vat is slowly filled with a saline solution such as a solution of common salt, at a temperature preferably of about 110 F., and the fibers allowed to absorb the solution to the point of saturation. The action of this bath, which cleans the fibers and removes some of the coloring matter requires usually about an hour; but the treatment may be hastened, if desired, by slight eleoside of a rotatable, perforate d trolysis of the brine to form a mild chlorin gas. In the latter case twenty to thirty minutes is sufiicient duration of treatment. The bundles are thereafter drained of the solution. The weight of the solution retained by the flax after draining, however, is about that of the flax itself.

T he bundles are next secured on the outim e? po lygonal cross-section, with the rootends of the bundles laid in'the direction in which the drum is rotated and the individual fibers lying in planes at right angles tothe axis of the drum. By this means, when the drum is rotated in a bath, presently to be described, the fibers are treated with the growing grain, a stripping-action is thereby produced along the surfaces of the fibers and the fibers will not be tossed about or mixed during treatment. The drum and the vat in which the drum is placed may' be of any suitable dimensions. In certain operations I have conducted, horizontal drums about six feet high and from eight to twelve feet long'wer'e successfully employed. The tank or vat in which the drum rotates may be a foot or two longer than the latter, but need be but slightly over half as high, as it is desirable that a substantial portion of the drum project above the top of the vat or at least" above the level of the bath.

The novel bath is of an oily and yet also a saponaceous nature and is prepared preferably in the following manner. The vat is filled, say, two-thirds full of water. heated to about 150 F. at the start and increased as the preparations proceed, if desired, to boiling. In the water is dissolved a paste comprising a saponified vegetable oil, containing, however, a slight amount of free oil. The-paste may be prepared by saponifying boiled or raw linseed oil, maize oil, cl a wood oil, with the carbonate or hydrate of an alkali, such as potash; but the best results are secured by using flaxseed, boiling the same to liberate and pulpity the oil and 'saponifying to the required degree at a relativcly hi gh temperature with potash leached from ashes of the fia-X shive. preferably added a slight amount of turpentine. In preparing the bath from the paste, it has been found suitable to use from about ten to twenty pounds of the saponaceous substance to each hundred gallons; ot

To this is In this solution, maintained hot, the drum carrying the bundles is rotated, say, six to eight R. P; M., until the fiber has been sufiiciently treated The time required depends upon the character or condition of the green fiber and must be determined in advance or by examination at intervals of the fibers undergoing treatment, for, if the trea ment is unduly prolonged it may destroy the gums holding the fibers in end to end relation.

During this treatment of alternate hotbath immersion and coolingaeration, the composition described, particularly the flax seed preparation, exhibits adifferential or selective action by virtue of which although the cutose gums become softened by partial dissolution, under the action of the active ingredients of the paste, become separated from the fiber and woody portions, and precipitate along with insoluble portions or" the fiaXseed which was used in preparing the paste and to which the gum appears to adhere, the pectous gum at the fiber-joints is not only not destroyed'by the treatment but becomes enveloped in an oily protective film containing some protein matter from the fiaxseed and suificiently resistant to the core ditions of subsequent operations on the fibers to insure maintenance of the fiberlength desired;

litter the fiber has received sutlicient ment in the manner descibed, the drum is hoisted bodily from the vat and rotated in such manner as toexpose the fibers to the air for about forty-five minutes, more or less.v whereupon the bundles are traversed by suitable pressure rolls to squeeze out any surplus solution still contained in the fiber.

The drum with the fibers still attached is then conveyed to another vat, which may be similar to the first, hall full of water at a slightly elevated temperature, say 107 F, and rotated therein for about twenty utes, more or less, come thoroughly rinsed. convenient, it is preferred that natural sulfur-water be also used for this wash. After this rinsing step, it has sometimes been "found desirable toreplace the wash-water with a weak saponaceous solution, containing slight amounts of sulfuric or acetic acid and tarpentine or pine oil. The drum and fibers may be rotated in this solution for, say, twenty'minutes, whereupon it is again transferred to the air and rotated therein as before. The fibers may then be again rinsed in water in the manner described, although the temperature of the wash need not ceed 100 F. this time, and again cooled by rotation. of the drum in the air as before.

The drum, still carrying the bundles" of whereby the fibers begradually admitted and exhausted at opposite points of the chamber. In this chamber the drum is also preferably revolved. The drying temperature may be around 110 F. It should never exceed 130 F. The flax fibers should not be allowed to sweat and it is best not to remove them from the drum until they are dry.

It is desirable that the fibers be held on the drum under tension. As a simple but effective expedient for accomplishing this and for securing the bundles in place on the drum, the latter may be surrounded with a tightly drawn wire-cloth envelop.

Suitable apparatus for carrying out the principal steps of the method is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of an octagonal drum carrying the bundles of flax or the like and in place in a vat;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the near end of the vat being removed to more clearly show the internal arrangement, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a suitable form of drying-chamber.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a drum, preferably polygonal in cross-section, as shown, the periphery of which is perforated as shown at 2 or composed of coarse reticulated material. The ends 3 may be imperforate except perhaps at the centers where an axial shaft 1 may pass through them. However, a continuous shaft is not necessary. Stub-shafts 4, a at the ends of the drum will answer. The bundles 5 of decorticated flax are shown on the fiat sides of the drum with the fibers arranged in planes at right angles to the axis of the drum.

Through suitable mechanism connected with the shaft 4: and shown in Fig. 1 as comprising a belt 6 and pulley 7 the drum may be rotated at the desired speed. As shown in Fig. 1, the drum is mounted in a vat 8, the shaft or stub-shafts 4, 4:, being for this purpose removably mounted in suitable bearings 9. Since a substantial portion of the drum 1 is to be exposed, the vat-8 need not be much more than one-half as deep as the drum is high, including a wire-cloth envelop or the like 10 which secures the bundles 5 in place on the periphery of the drum and holds them taut. A grid 11 is provided near the bottom of the tank or vat 8, sufiiciently coarse in character to permit passage therethrough of the precipitated gums and other solid substances and yet maintain a separation of the deposit from the main body of liquid to such an extent that stirring; up of the solids in the compartment 1-2 is prevented. A valved sludgeoutlet 13 facilitates removal of the solids from the compartment 12.

If the drum is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, then the ends 1 1 of the fibers will be the root-ends while the seedcnds of the fibers are indicated by the numeral 15. In other words, the fibers pass through the bath 16 root-ends first.

Fig. 3 illustrates a suitable dryingchamber. It is shown as comprising two symmetrical sections 17, 18, the latter being removable from the former to permit the placing of the drum bodily in the drier wherein it is mounted for rotation in bearings 19, 20. When the parts 17, 18 are in place about the drum, a substantially airtight casing is providedfrom which the air is exhausted through one opening 21, while a suitable drying medium such as hot air is admitted through a second opening 22, or vice versa.

It will be obvious that many changes can be made in the apparatus. The particular forms described are shown merely for the purpose of illustration.

My treatment not only produces superior flax fibers from the flax-straw or gree-line fiax, but it also reducesthe expense involved in the methods heretofore used in the handling of the fiber. For instance, fiax treated accordingto my method requires no scutching. When the fibers come from the drier, they are merely passed through softeningrolls, which also polish the fibers, and are then packed away in a storeroom kept damp by water-trenches or other humidifying means. Here the flax stacked in packs weighted under pressure and held under tension is left to mature for several days,

when it is ready for use.

I am well aware that saponaceous and oleaginous solutions have been proposed for disintegrating the gums which bind the fibers of the plants to the woody stock, but so far as I know all of these have had the disadvantage that they also attack the pectous gums at the end-joints of the fibers. I believe I am the first to so treat the fibers as to remove the cutose gums and at the same time protect the pectous gum from the action of the chemical solutions with which it comes in contact.

From my operations, I have observed that,

certain insoluble vegetable portions of the flaxseed used in the bath attract and adhere strongly to the cutose gums as they are released and precipitate promptly therewith to the bottom of the vat. If they were not so deposited they would float around in the bath and redeposit themselves on the flax fibers. If this should happen. the gum, when the fibers were subjected to cold water or air, would harden and form lumps in spots on the fiber, thus producing a condition worse than that which the process was intended to remedy. In my method, however, the gum readily precipitates along with the insoluble-portions of the flaxseed and this mass which is withdrawn from the bottom of the vat constitutes a valuable stock-food.

Furthermore, I have been led to believe that the cuticular varnish from the flaxseed acts as a-polish or dressing for the fibers and imparts to them a lustrousappearance not heretofore attained in the treatment.

The oil of the flax is well known as a drying oil and when the fibers which are undergoing treatment in the bath described take up the excess of oil present, oxidation ensues immediately the fibers are removed to the air from the hot bath, as the drum rotates.

The fiber resulting from my treatment ha novel characteristics. It is oil cured, waterrepellant, of permanent luster, and will stand a greater strain than previously known fibers. The fibers are light in color. In fact the flax produced by my method is already at a three-quarter bleach and a very simple noninjurious bleaching agent will produce pure white yarns or cloth. Also, the fiber subdivision is so great that I am permitted. to spin the finest of yarns and a fabric is possible which will not mildew or deteriorate.

If it is desired to produce mercerized fiber, which is also new so far as 1am aware, the drum after. the treatment described and still carrving the fibers is rotated in a vat containing a solution of caustic'soda. By this step, the individual fibers are merceriZed, they are more easily spun, they take a v higher silk-like finish and the yarn or cloth can be much more economically mercerized.

I claim:

1. The method of treating fibers of flax or the like, comprising immersing them in a saponaceous bath containing free oxidizable oil and intermittently subjecting them to air.

2. The method of treating fibers of flax or the like, comprising immersing them in a saponaceousbath containing free oxidizable oil and subjecting them to air.

3. The method of treating fibers of flax or the like, comprising immersing them in a bath containing linseed oil soap and some free linseed oil and intermittently subjecting them to air.

4-. The method of treating fibers of flax or the like, comprising immersing them in a a bath consisting of flaxseed digestedwith an alkali and containing some freeoxidizable oil, and intermittently subjecting the. fibers to air.

5. The method of treating fibers (1f flax or tl e like, comprising immersing them in a bath consisting of flaxseed digested with potashes from flax-shive and containing some free oxidizable oil, and intermittently subecting the fibers to air.

6.- The method of treating flax or the like, comprisin decorticating the flax-straw, subjecting the fibers to a saline solution and then alternately subjecting them to a saponaceous bath containing. free oxidizable oil and to' the air.

7. The method oftreating flax or the like, comprising decorticating the flax-straw, subjecting the fibers to a bleaching agent and then alternately subjecting them to a saponaceous bathcontaining free oxidizable oil and to the air.

8. The method of treating fibers of flax or the like, comprising moving the same repeatedly through a fiber-liberating bath, the axes of the fibers being maintained substantially in the direction of movement thereof.

9. The method of treating fibersof flax or the like, comprising moving the same repeatedly through a fiber-liberating bath root-ends first,'and the axes of the fibers being maintained substantially in the direction of movement thereof.

10. The method of treating flax or the like, comprising decorticating the straw, forming bundles thereof, and repeatedly subjecting'said bundles to movement through a fiber-liberating bath roots-end first, and the axes of the fibers being maintained substantially in the direction of movement thereof.

11. The method of treating flax or the like, comprising decorticating the straw, forming bundles thereof, and repeatedly subjecting said bundles to movement throug a fiber-liberating bath, and the axes of the fibers being maintained substantially in the direction of movementthereof.

12. The method of treating flax or the like, comprising decorticating the straw, forming bundles thereof, and repeatedly subjecting said bundles to movement through a bath capable of removing the cutose gum but inactive with respect to the pectous joint;gum, the axes of the fibers being maintained during said movement substantially in the direction of movement thereof.

'13. As an article of manufacture, a his tro'us, light-co'lored, flax fiber having oxidized oil a'pplied thereto.

In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature.

WILLIAM J. ROBINSON. 

